HELP HELP! MSc Bristol or MSc Durham

Dear Friends,
Currently I am holding 3 postgraduate offers:
MSc Accounting Finance & Management - University of Bristol
MSc Accounting & Finance- University of Durham
MBA- Lancaster University.

I am a graduate of University of London with a 2.1 degree in BSc Accounting & Finance, got 4 years work experience. I need help and guidance in choosing the final university as its pretty confusing now. Lancaster MBA is ranked really high as per the university's webiste (3rd in UK, 7th in non US unis), Durham is ranked 3rd top Uni in UK by Sunday times, Bristol has great repute as well and fee is comparatively lower than the rest.

I am an international student, so please guide me with a career prospect outside the UK after my degree completion and which university should i go for?

Need SERIOUS and QUICK Help as 12 march is last date of deposit submission!
Thanks Alot!

(edited 12 years ago)

Reply 1

Swampcat

The Accounting and Finance Masters programmes are very different from an MBA. Don't you need to decide which route - accounting and finance or MBA - you wish to take?

Going down the accounting and finance route is going to lead you to careers in that area. Going down the MBA route is going to open up alternatives outside finance. So depends what you want, and whether you want to specialise in finance or not. In my view the MBA will still allow you to pursue a career in accounting/finance, but you'll get more options as well.

The MBA is likely to be a more intense experience than the specialist Masters programmes.

All three are top universities. You'll get a good education whichever one you pick.

Reply 2

smilinggtearss

Swampcat Many thanks for your kind words.

I am more inclined towards MSc at the moment as I am not sure of my career prospects after Lancaster MBA, I have read mixed reviews about it, and one of my friends who is working in LONDON PWC for the last 5 says that his employers haven't even heard about a LANCASTER MBA, let alone hiring a graduate from it.

So its between Bristol & Durham, I believe ( correct me if I'm wrong)
Durham- Highly Ranked in UK, 3rd in UK, 87th in world, 17500 GBP fee
Bristol- Well Reputed Worldwide, 8-9th in UK, 66 in World, 15000 GBP fee

Which one do you think i should go for?

Reply 3

Swampcat

I wish I could help you with your decision, but I can't. Trouble is, very few people ever study similar Masters degrees at two different universities, so no one is really ever in a position to make a proper comparison!

I think both universities are pretty equal in reputation. I would choose based on course content, facilities - that sort of thing.

By the way, I think you're kind of wrong - though not completely - about Lancaster's reputation with employers. When you look at the league tables you see that Lancaster Management School does better with employers than Bristol or Durham's equivalent business schools. Trouble is, Lancaster is a small city, and so not as well-known as Bristol - which everyone in the UK knows. Durham city is also small, but its university has been going for well over a hundred and fifty years - so again, its better known than Lancaster, which is a newish university (established 1964) in a small city.

But I reckon you're probably making the right choice deciding on the MSc in Accounting and Finance - obviously your interests lie in that area, so better to gain an additional specialist qualification rather than taking an MBA.

Reply 4

smilinggtearss

Thanks!
Now I have to decide between Bristol & Durham.

Durham's only disadvantage is its location i guess but it beats Bristol in rankings. Similarly timeflyers graduate employability report suggests that Bristol is at 6th as compared to Durham at 9th in the universities graduates list most targeted by employers.

Do you have any ideawhich university's MSc would boost my career prospects in Middle East, USA? And which university has a better career service for itsgraduate students?

Reply 5

smilinggtearss

What should i go for?
Please suggest

Reply 6

Cherrymuckle

Original post by smilinggtearss

Hi, if you want a look at what students from Lancaster MBA are like and go on to do, why not take a look at the Lancaster MBA school page on businessbecause. There you can read the profiles of their students and alums who have gone on to do transport operations for fine art auctions house Christie's, run their own communications and security strategy firm, set up their own social enterprise, or landed a principal consultancy role through the alumni and many more. If you do a Lancaster MBA, these are the kind of classmates you will have in your network!

HELP HELP! MSc Bristol or MSc Durham

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